This article was authored by Andrew D. Choi, MD, FACC, co-director of Cardiac CT and MRI, and assistant professor at The George Washington University in Washington, DC.

"Alone we can do so little, together we can do so much." — Helen Keller

What is the ACC Imaging Section?

The Imaging Section of the ACC is the voice of cardiovascular imagers. Established in 2008, the Imaging Section seeks to facilitate communication between the ACC and various imaging subspecialty societies, including the American Society of Echocardiography, the American Society of Nuclear Cardiology, the Society for Cardiovascular Computed Tomography, the Society for Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance and the Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions. In the spring of 2011, the Imaging Section evolved from a council into an open member section. Within the Imaging Section, there is a Leadership Council that represents the voices of all the various member societies, sets the Section agenda, serves as a resource and guides input on guidelines and position papers in multimodality imaging. Current Section initiatives include advocacy with payors, education planning for ACC.18 and potential collaboration with the European Society of Cardiology and the European Association of Cardiovascular Imaging on new imaging appropriateness criteria.

I am already a member of the ACC. How do I join the Imaging Section?

As a member of the ACC with an interest in cardiovascular imaging, you can formally join the Section by calling the ACC Resource Center at (800) 253-4636, ext 5603 or e-mail resource@acc.org. At the time of your regular ACC dues renewal, you can also "opt-in" to join.

Why join the Imaging Section?

Imaging Section members have access to exclusive content. This academic year, the ACC Imaging Section Leadership Council, including Jeffrey Geske, MD, FACC, associate professor of cardiology at the Mayo Clinic, and Victor Ferrari, MD, FACC, professor of medicine and radiology at the University of Pennsylvania Medical Center, have organized a new ACC.org Multimodality Imaging Writing Group to leverage ACC imaging specialists through the Section website. This site is only accessible to Imaging Section members and will be regularly updated with novel content germane to imagers. The goal is to facilitate engagement and networking opportunities among members.

I have had prior authorization issues. How is the ACC Imaging Section taking action?

The ACC recently created a web-based prior authorization reporting tool called PARTool, which collects data on disputed requests of inappropriate prior authorizations on cardiovascular testing. The short survey allows you to report a denied procedure, the payor and alternative test ordered. This data is crucial in understanding how to best advocate with the various payors to deliver the right test, for the right patient, at the right time for patients.

ACC Imaging Section Advocacy Efforts

Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield recently halted payments for computerized tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance (MR) imaging in hospital outpatient departments, impacting coverage in all states except New Hampshire. Anthem is steering patients away from the hospital outpatient to freestanding imaging facilities to reduce costs. This may impact members by refusing to pay hospital physicians for imaging services rendered and potentially denying care to patients. Outpatient Cardiac MR utilization has historically been low, and Anthem has rarely covered cardiac CT. Therefore, the impact for cardiac imagers is uncertain. If you have experienced the effects of this issue, please let us know so that we can better work with ACC's Advocacy staff and fully assess this impact on patient care.

How can I engage with the ACC Imaging Section?

First, make sure you are an Imaging Section member. If not, follow the process outlined above.

• On Twitter use the hashtag #ACCImaging to join the conversations on important advocacy, education and science updates.
• Visit the Imaging Section's homepage on ACC.org regularly. New articles and updates are frequently being posted.
• Join us at ACC.18 in Orlando, FL. More details to follow.
• Contact the ACC Staff Liaison Catherine Carithers at ccarithers@acc.org for additional questions or comments about the Imaging Section.

Each individual voice joined collectively through the ACC Imaging Section will advance the Section's mission to move imaging forward – we urge you to get involved!

Keywords: Outpatients, Leadership, Specialization, Goals, Multimodal Imaging, Cardiac Imaging Techniques, Radiography, Radiology, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Echocardiography, Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy, Tomography, X-Ray Computed, Angiography, Patient Care, Tomography

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